Switch.



H. F. ROACH.

swmom PPLITIOR FILED HAR. 5, 1909. 929,788. Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

H. F. ROAGH.

SWITGH.

APPLIoATIoN FILED. MAB. 5, 1909.

929,788. Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y ya@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY F. ROACH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINUOUS RAIL & SAFETY SWITCH CO., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY F. Roaen, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Iiouis, Missouri, have invented a certain ner." and useful Improvement in Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description., such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway track structures, and particularly to that type which comprises mechanism for moving or shifting the switch-points laterally, and independent means that is adapted to be operated by a passing train for completing the movement of the switch-points in case they are not positioned properly and also for holding said switch-points locked in operative position while the train is passing through the switch.

One object of my invention. is to provide a switch of the character above described in which the means that corrects misplacement of the switchoints and also holds them locked against ateral movements consists of a wheel-operated member which is so designed that it will cooperate with a perfect wheel or with a double flanged` or imperfect wheel; namely, a wheel whose tread has become worn to such a degree that it is sub-- stantially concaved in cross section. And still. another object of my invention is to provide a railway track structure of the character described in which the wheel-operated member is supported in a novel manner. i

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l ofthe drawings is a top plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the wheel-operated member that corrects misplacement of the switch-points and also holds them lockedg'Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line SW3 of Fig. l; Fig. i is an enlarged vertical sec tional view of the `wheel-operated member and the rail alongside of which it is arranged, this view showing a perfect wheel traveling upon said rail; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 for the purpose of illustrating how an imperfect wheel or double fianged wheel cooperates with my improved wheeloperated member; and Fig. 6 is a detail view that Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 5, 1909.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.`

Serial No. 481,369.

illustrates the ribs on the under side of the link-supporting bracket.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, 1 and 2 designate rails that form a track, and la and 2a designate i switch-points that cooperate with said rails. The switch-points are connected to a head rod 3 that is adapted to be` operated manually or by some suitable mechanical, electrical, or pneumatic means, not shown, for shifting the switch-points laterally, and a wheel-operated member A is arranged longitudinally of the rail 2 adjacent the switch-points for correcting misplacement of said switch-pointsand also for holding them locked while a train is passing through the switch. This wheeloperated member A is carried by a plurality of pivotally mounted links which permit said member to move longitudinally of the rail 2 whenever said member projects above the tread of said rail and is engaged by the wheel of a train that enters the switch, the movement of said wheel-operated member being trans mitted to the head rod 3 by means of a rod 4 connected to said member and to a bell crank lever 5 that is connected to the head rod. In the construction herein shown the wheeloperated member is carried by four links G, two of which are arranged midway the center of said member and one end thereof, and the other two links being arranged midway the center and the other end of said member. The upper ends of said links are pivotally connected to the wheel-operated member A by means of pins 7 riveted to said member and projecting laterally therefrom through holes in the upper ends of the links, the outer ends of said pins preferably terminating fiush with the outer side faces of the links so as to eliminate lateral projections on the wheeloperated member. Each pair of links 6 is carried by a bracket or support comprising `a base portion 8 that projects under the base `flange of the rail 2, a portion 9 that partially `embraces the base flange of said rail and is lower ends of said links are pivotally'connected to said flange by suitable fastening devices,.such,.for example, as the bolts 12.'

On the front side of the rail web-engaging portion 9 of Aeach bracket are a plurality of inclined ribs 13 that form a guiding surface or bearing surface for the wheelloperated inemf ber A and prevent it from moving inward-ly toward theVV rail 2. Said wheel-operated member is prevented fromV moving outwardly, away vfromV the rail 2, by means of guiding devicesl arranged adjacent the end? of the Wheeleoperated member' and each provided with an upwardly projecting. portion 14?,l asshown in Fig. 3, that bears against the outer face of the Vwheel-operated member andl thus prevents it from: moving outwardly. Each` of said guiding devices 14 also has a portion 14Cb that extends over the base flange of the rail-2 and is connected to the vertical` web thereof, said base portion being connected to one of the track. ties by aA spike or other suitable fastening device. porting brackets and guiding devices not only guidev the wheel-operated member A per- Y fectly and prevent it from moving outwardly or being jammed up; against the rail, but they tendl to prevent the rail 2 from creeping: longitudinally beca-use'each supporting bracket is interposed betweenA twol'track ties, as shown infFig. 2, and each guiding device 14'is connected. to ak track tieV and to the web i of said-v rail.

rod 4' that. transmits the movement of the wheel-operated member tothe bell crank 5` is arranged at an angle to the wheel-operated Asshown clearly in Fig. 1, the

member instead of extendingv parallel: to: said member, thev pivot pins, which connect the opposite ends of said rod tothe wheeloperated member' and to said bell crank, being out Vof longitudinal alinement with each other. lprefer `to arrange said parts in this manner so as to cause the wheel operatedv member to tend to move inwardly toward therail 2 asit moves longitudinally thereof instead of outwardly as would' be apt tooccur if the rod were connected tothe bellv otally connected? to a laterally projecting lug 115 on the wheel-operated member so as to enable the length of the'rod 4' toibevaried and thus locate the wheel-operated member inthe proper position relatively to the v switchfpoints and the tread' of the rail 2..

The bell crank lever 5A is# pivotally connected to a supporting plate 1:6Which' is: fastened tothe track ties and one* arm: of said leverl is`- ing. clogged in the ends of said slot as would be apt to occur if the slot Weif'e of the saine width as the diameter of the pin 18. In

Aother words, l form the slot 17 in such a manner that any snow or foreign matter whichV f gets into same can escapelaterally ont of the path of the pin 1S when said pin travels toward the end of the slot. i whichprojects u* wardly through the slot inV g thel bell cran-k 5, is not provided with a headv i but upward movement of the'bell crank i'ela- 1, tively to the head rod is prevented by means of an extension 19 onthe` bell crank that projects under a flange 2() onl the end ofthe head rod, as shown in'lfigs. 1 and 3. L to provide the supporting plate 16 with an lfarm 16a that extends over the bell crank 5 so asto overcome any tendency of said bell crank moving upwardly.

These supg enected to the head' rod 3 that the tread sur jface of said member will lie approximately flush with the tread surface of the rail 2 when the switch-points are in proper position jnainely, A jsnugly against the rail 1 orrthe switch-point l 2 a lies snugly against the rail 2, so that whenf ever said head rod does not move far enough to position the switch-points properly, theV `wheeloperated member will project slightly above the tread of the rail 2. when a train approaches the switch the wheel that is traveling on the rail 2 will engage the wheel-operated member A and move it doimiwardly and also longitudinally iny the :direction indicated'by the arrowb in Fig. 1, jand thus move said misplaced switch-point Q into its proper'positioii.

lThe pin 18,

l also prefer The wheel-operated member A is so yconwhen the switch-point 1aL lies Con sequently7 .move far enough to bring the switch-point 1a tightly against the rail 1. This would cause the wheel-operated member A to project slightly above the tread of the` rail 2'so that thev next train that approached the switch would depress said memberand thus cause the. Switchpoint 1a to move up close to the rail 1 before .the wheels of said train passed onto said' switch-point. The links 6 which carry' the wheel-operated member, are

mounted in sucha manner that they swing clear over from the position shown in full' lines in 1Eig.. 2 into.` the position shown in broken lines in said figure Whenever the head rod 3' is moved Ato bring the switch-point 2a up'y against the rail 2, the wheel-operated member coming toirest withits treadl surface f approximately flush with the tread surface of the rail 2. If the head rod is not moved far enough in this direction to bring the switchpoint 2 tightly against the rail 2 the wheeb operated member will, of course, project slightly above the rail 2 so that when a train approaches the switch the wheels of the train will engage said member and depress it and move it longitudinally in the direction indi cated. by the arrow c in Fig. l, thus complcting thethrow el' the head rod and moving the Switchpoint 2a into its proper position before the wheels of the train come into contact with same.

The whi-iel-operated member fr not only corrects misplacement of the switclnpoints but it also holds said switch-points locked while a train is passing through the switch.

As previously stated, the wheel-operated member A is so formed that it will cooperate with a perfect wheel or an imperfect or double-flanged wheel. It is well-known that the tread surface of a car wheel becomes concaved or double-flanged after it has been in use for a short while on account of the wearing away of the tread of the wheel and the lateral movement of the wheel relatively to the rail and I have therefore provided the tread'surface of the wheeloperated member A with a portion that `is adapted to be engaged by the tread of a perfect wheel and a portion that is adapted to be engaged by the tread of an imperfect or double-flanged wheel. In Fig. 4- I have shown a perfect wheel resting upon the rail 2 and wheel-operated member, and in Fig. 5 I have shown an imperfect wheel resting on said rail and member. The tread surface of the wheeloperated member comprises a portion 21 that is adapted to be engaged by the tread of a perfect wheel, as shown in F ig. 4t, and also a portion 22 that conforms to the out side flange or outer concaved portion of an imperfect wheel and is adapted to be en gag'ed thereby, as shown in Fig. 5. By forming the wheel-operated member in this manner I can make it heavy enough to withstand the strains and shocks to which it is subjected and also insure that it will be operated by either a perfect wheel or an imperfect wheel. I prefer to bevel each end portion of the tread surface of the wheel-operated member at 23, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to gradually guide an imperfect wheel onto the portion 22 of the tread surface of said member that conforms to the outer flange of said imperfect wheel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a railway track structure, a wheeloperated member, a movable element, and a connection between said member and element comprising a lever having an elongated slot provided with enlarged ends which are of greater width than the central or intermediate portion. of the slot, and a pin projecting into said slot and connected to a part that the lever moves.

2. In a railway track structure, the combination of a pivotally mounted lever pro vided with an elongated slot having enlarged ends which are of `greater width than the central or intermediate portion of the slot, a re ciprocating member, and a pin or projection on said member of less diameter than the end portions of said slet and projecting into said slot.

In a railway track structure, the combination of a horizontally disposed pivotally mounted lever provided with an elongated slot having enlarged ends, a movable mem ber having a pin or projection that entends into said slot, and cooperating means on said lever and member, for preventing said lever and member from moving vertically relatively to each other.

4. In a railway track structure, the combination of a horizontally disposed bell crank lever provided in one of its arms with an elongated slot having enlarged ends, a reciprocating member arranged under said arm and provided with a pin that fits loosely in said slot, and a device on said reciprocating member that extends over a portion of said lever and thus prevents it from moving upwardly.

5. In a railway track structure, the combination of a track rail, a wheel-operated member arranged adjacent said rail, devices which are pivotally connected to said member so as to support it and move it longitudinally of the rail, and independent means arranged adjacent the ends of said member and secured to the ties on which the rail rests for guiding said member and preventing it from moving laterally relatively to the rail.

6. In a railway track structure, the combin ation of a rail, a wheel-operated member arranged longitudinally of the rail and adj acent one side thereof, supporting devices carried by the rail and provided with guides against the inside face of which said wheeloperated member bears, means connected to said supporting devices for carrying said wheel-operated member, and means inde pendent of said supporting devices and connected to the ties on which said rail rests for preventing said wheel operated member from moving outwardly away from the rail.

7. In a railway track structure, the combination of a track rail, a wheel-operated member arranged longitudinally of said rail adj acent one side thereof, a supporting device connected to said rail between two of the ties on which said track rail rests and provided with a depending flange that projects downwardly between said ties and is disposed at an angle to the web of said rail, a pair of links pivotally connected to said depending flange for carrying said wheel-operated member, and inclined guides on said supporting devices against which the inner face of the Wheel-operated member bears.

8. ln a railway track structure, the combination of a track rail, a wheel-o erated inember arranged longitudinally of said rail adjacent one side thereof, supporting devices connected to said rail and provided with depending flanges that are disposed at an angle to the web of said rail', links pivotally connected to said depending fianges for carrying said wheel-operated member, inclined ribs on said supporting devices that'act as guides for said member and limit the inward movement thereof, base portions on said supporting devices that project under the base fiange of the rail, and ribs or gussets on the under side of said base portions that reinforce and strengthen said depending flanges.

9. A wheel-operated member for railway track structures, provided Vwith a tread portion that conforms to a perfect wheel, a tread portion that conforms to an imperfect wheel, and an angularly disposed surface for guiding an imperfect wheel laterally onto said tread portion that conforms to an imperfect wheel.

l0. A wheel-operated member for railway track structures, rovided with an approximately horizontafly disposed tread portion that is adapt-ed to cooperate with perfect wheels, and an angularly disposed portion that is adapted to cooperate with imperfect or double-hanged wheels, the ends of said horizontally disposed portion. being so formed that an imperfect wheel will be shifted laterally and guided onto said angularly disposed portion.

l1. In a railway track structure, a track rail, a wheel-operated member consisting of a bar that extends lonvitudiiially of said. rail adjacent one side thereof, said bar having a horizontally disposed tread surface that normally lies approximately Hush with the tread surface of said rail, the combined Width of the tread surface of the rail and the horizon tally disposed tread surface of said bar being less than the width of the tread surface of a car wheel, an angularly disposed tread sur- `ment, and a rod connected to said element y and to the wheel-operated member in such a manner that said rod tends to force the wheel-operated member inwardly toward the rail as it moves longitudinally of said rail.

13. A switch comprising switch-points,

,means for shifting said switch-points, a ,Wheelbperated member consisting of a bar that is arranged adiacent oneI sideV of one of the track rails, said bar being provided with an approximately horiaontally disposed tread surface for cooperating with perfect `wheels and anl angularly disposed treadsur-v face for cooperating with imperfect or double-flanged wheels, supporting devices for said' bar which permit it to move longitudinally, anda connection between said bar and the Switchpoint shifting mechanism.

14. In a railway trael: structure, a railI a supporting device carried by said rail, a wheel-operated member, links connected to said member for supporting same, bolts for connecting said links to said supporting device, and pairs of ribs or projections on said supporting device that embrace the heads of the bolts to prevent them from turning;

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this first day of March 1909i HARRY r. norton. f

Witnesses-z WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

